Platinum Racing

A Hong Kong horse had not won the Hong Kong International Cup (2000m International Gr 1) since the great Vengeance of Rain won the race in 2005 - but today a little grey tyke called California Memory, trained by Tony Cruz and ridden by Matthew Chadwick set Shatin alight with a devastating win in the feature at the Hong Kong international meeting today, when he beat Irian (Darren Beadman) and Zazou (Olivier Peslier).

Before we get sidetracked with all peripherals, let's pay tribute to this little 430 kilograms grey, he is an absolute corker horse with an unbelievable turn of foot. He finished off his 2000 metres today with a scintillating sectional 21.69 for the last 400 metres. That is warp speed at the end of 2000 metrres!

For his trainer, Tony Cruz, arguably the best jockey Hong Kong (or Asia) has ever produced, winning International Gr 1 races is nothing new. As Cruz said after the race (of the four international races) "this is the race you want to win."

But for his former star apprentice, the 21 year-old Chadwick, it was the day he arrived on the international racing scene as a world class jockey, and the fairylale of Chadwick's rise and rise reached its zenith. It was also the first time that a Hong Kong born jockey had won the Hong Kong International Cup.

Racing has a habit of throwing up fairytale stories on a regular basis and on a global scale there is none more real than Chadwick's.

Chadwick's background hs been well documented - even on this website - but it is far too easy to dismiss the gravity of this young man's achievements both in life and racing.

An orphan, Matthew was adopted by his English parents (his biggest fans) two British expat teachers living in Hong Kong. His interest in racing began in his early teens and he spent a fair bit of his spare time acting as a valet for star international jockey Felix Coetzee, who was then based in HK.

Matthew was granted an apprenticeship by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and was sent under their international apprenticeship program to Maryanne Thexton on the Gold Coast.

He then moved to the northern rivers of NSW to spend some time with Brett Bellamy where he rode plenty of winners. He returned to Hong Kong after learning his trade in Australia and set the place on fire. He set a record for an apprentice, demolishing Howard Cheng's previous figures and under the tutelage of Cruz has developed into one of the leading riders in one of the toughest cauldrons in the world. In fact, prior to today, he had ridden doubles at the previous two meetings in Hongkers.

Horses run for Matthew, and for any jockey, that is a currency that constantly gets cashed in. But in the lead up to today's race, many thought Matthew had spent his chips! California memory provided Chadwick with is first ever Gr 1 success last season and Cruz sent the horse to Singapore to run in the Singapore International Cup. Nothing went right, he was caught deep, Chadwick set him on fire and he went forward before fading in the home straight badly.

The horse was then spelled and returned to racing with Chadwick on board, and after a freak ride that any jockey would have claimed, he won first up. But in the lead up to today's feature. luck deserted Chadwick and the horse was unable to get a run when fourth to Thumbs Up. There was calls for Chadwick to be replaced, but the owner stuck solid - and today, Chadwick made full use of barrier one to have California Memory right behind the leader Pure Champion to the home turn.

For a few strides on straightening, backers of California M emory mus have had feelings of deja vu as Chadwick was bailed behind Zazou when he came off the tiring Pure Champion's back. But just before the 200 metres mark, the gap came and the son of Highest Honour burst through to win brilliantly.

For Hong Kong, today's international meeting was an absolute triumph. Apart from the Vase (2400m), which is always dominated by the European stayers (and today was no different) Hong Kong took three of the four features.

French galloper Dunaden proved he is a world class racehorse with his win in Vase today for trainer Mikael Delangles and Australian jockey Craig Williams. It was France's fourth win in the last five renewals of the race. In fact France has won 9 of the 17 runnings of the race and Europe 15 of the 17. The Melbourne Cup winner was given a gun ride by Williams, and he showed a surprising turn of foot for a horse coming back from 3200 metres to 2400 metres when the run inside Thumbs Up (Brett Prebble/Casper Fownes) 250 metres from home.

The Casper Fownes trained- Brett Prebble ridden Lucky Nine won the International Sprint (1200 metres), a race that the locals have dominated for many years. He made up for his luckless fifth in Japan in the Sprinters Stakes last time out when he beat two other locals Joy and Fun and Entrapment, who dead-heated for second.

John Moore added yet another international to his CV when he won the Mile with nine-year-old Able One (ridden by Jeff Lloyd). In a race run at a cracking pace, Able One won his third International Gr 1 when he accounted for the luckless Cityscape from the Uk ridden by Steve Drowne, with Moore's more faniced runner, the favourite, Xtension (Darren Beadman) finishing third.